Residents of Shavirianga Village in Khamisi, Vihiga county were left in shock after a class five boy committed suicide on Saturday.
The boy reportedly took his own life by hanging himself after being punished by his parents for allegedly stealing from a nearby shop.
This was after the shopkeeper reported him to his parents for stealing sweets at the shop, after which he was punished for the offence, but would later go missing.
He was later found dead at an empty house in the neighbourhood after the family embarked on an intense search for him in school and the entire village.
Confirming the incident, Shiru location Chief Josephine Khalwale said that the family got worried after the 13-year-old boy failed to return by night.
“The parents thought he was remorseful of the offence committed and had only run away and would be back later in the day. That did not turn out to be the case,” she was quoted by the Standard.
The administrator added that the boy was found hanging from the house roof at about 10:30 in the night, with signs showing that he might have committed suicide earlier in the day.
"The body was found hanging in the house at around 10:30 pm on Saturday. It seems he hanged himself earlier in the day, only to be discovered late in the night,” she said.
The body of the deceased was moved to the Vihiga County Referral Hospital Mortuary pending burial.